New National Forest - Oxford-Cambridge Corridor

The Oxford-Cambridge Corridor is set to benefit from being the location of England's second new national forest. This forest will be transformative, providing significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. Defra is inviting organisations outside of central government or its ALBs to submit an Expression of Interest to become a delivery partner for this landscape-scale woodland creation project. The successful applicant will work with the National Forest Company and Defra to develop and deliver plans for a new national forest covering 200-600 square miles, with the goal of achieving over 30% tree cover. The project has confirmed funding from Defra between 2026/2027 and 2029/2030, with expectations for long-term operation beyond this period. The forest aims to deliver transformative change, biodiversity recovery, growth potential through the planning system, social benefits including improved health and wellbeing, and serve as a national exemplar for integrating growth with environmental improvement.